


to a decade of existence

by gyrone



Category: Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Genre: CDIR - Charles Dickens Is Relevant, M/M, but then again when isn't he, clara is dead, hip - Freeform, pip is dense as all god, sorry clara, they eat strawberries, they're in cairo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:07:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23264434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gyrone/pseuds/gyrone
Summary: the boys are living in cairo and herbert has a Surprise for pipalso clara is dead rip
Relationships: Philip Pirrip/Herbert Pocket
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	to a decade of existence

**Author's Note:**

> i am very sorry for writing this but i cheated on the quizzes so charles dickens haunts me
> 
> special thanks to:  
> -oliver - i hate you  
> -julia  
> -lauren
> 
> special unthanks to:  
> -mrs nalbandian

“I’ve got them!” Herbert yelled from the entryway on the first floor. The sound of a door slamming shut accompanied the news.

Pip was thoroughly confused, as he had no prior knowledge of what _“they” _were. He, in fact, was not even aware as to when Herbert even left the house.__

____

No context was provided, only the silence of voice as a single pair of footsteps ran about the house for a solid couple minutes.

____

It was quite distracting, and Pip stopped the work he was doing to try and figure out just _what _Herbert was up to. He’d hired servants for exactly this purpose, so why was the man himself running around like this?__

______ _ _

After no less than four trips around the mansion, the footsteps came to a stop just before the door to Pip’s study. The door was knocked upon thrice.

______ _ _

“Come in,” Pip said.

______ _ _

With a creak, the door opened. 

______ _ _

He turned around to see Herbert standing in the doorway, panting.

______ _ _

“Oi, Handel!” Herbert said between breaths. There was an overly excited look in his eyes. “Come with me if you’re not busy.”

______ _ _

As it so happened, Pip wasn’t really busy, so he rose from his chair to fulfill Herbert’s request. 

______ _ _

Herbert took a couple long strides across the room to grab Pip’s hand. “Now, don’t look! It’s a surprise!”

______ _ _

A surprise? For what?

______ _ _

Eager to find out, Pip closed his eyes. He felt his hand being tugged on and followed where he was led.

______ _ _

Pip knew the house well, so it wasn’t very hard to figure out he was being led to the balcony off of Herbert’s room. When they reached the door, Pip could feel the warm, dry Egyptian air on his face.

______ _ _

_“Careful!”_

________ _ _ _ _

They’d come to the single step from the door to the balcony. Herbert’s grip on Pip’s hand tightened as he guided him down it.

________ _ _ _ _

When they made it to the center of the balcony, Herbert released Pip’s hand. “You can look now!”

________ _ _ _ _

Pip opened his eyes to see a nice little table and two chairs set out on the balcony, bordered by the sunset-lit city in the background. On the table was a white tablecloth with a single candle lit upon it. The candle was accompanied by plates, glasses of wine for each of the chairs, and most notably. . .

________ _ _ _ _

A small basket of strawberries.

________ _ _ _ _

Pip hadn’t had strawberries in _years, _and the thought of them especially departed him when he’d moved to Cairo. The food was so different from British food altogether that Pip just . . . forgot.__

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

How did Herbert even _get _strawberries?__

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

With a sly smile, Herbert answered the question before Pip could even come to ask.

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

He looked _awfully _proud of himself.__

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“You see, Handel, I had to have these specially shipped here so they wouldn’t go bad in transit. It took weeks to plan. Weeks! And all for this occasion,” he said, gesturing with an arm to the table.

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_And what occasion would that be? ___

________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Pip had no idea.

________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

As usual regarding these things, Herbert was a step ahead of him. With extreme grace, he sat down at one of the chairs and took a sip from the glass set before him.

________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Don’t tell me you _forgot, _Handel! It’s our anniversary, of course!”__

__________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Pip counted on his fingers as he sat in the chair opposite Herbert.

__________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_No, not that. . . ___

____________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_Maybe. . . ___

______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Ah, we’ve known each other for ten years!”

______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Herbert grinned.

______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“That’s correct! And as a reward, you get a strawberry! Here!”

______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

He picked a strawberry from the basket and dangled it by its leaves for Pip to take.

______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Pip reached out a hand to grab it, but Herbert quickly pulled it away from his grasp.

______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Silly Handel, not with your _hands!” _he said. “Try again.”__

________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The strawberry was offered once more.

________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Pip hesitated.

________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Herbert grinned.

________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Don’t worry, manners don’t matter tonight.”

________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Awkwardly, Pip reached his head out and grabbed the strawberry with his teeth. That seemed to be the right answer, as when he did, Herbert released his hold on the leaves.

________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

As Pip took the strawberry from his mouth with his hand to eat it normally, Herbert laughed and applauded.

________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Bravo, Handel!” he said. “In fact, I don’t think we’ve had fun alone like this since the old days before we moved here.”

________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Pip finished eating the strawberry and flicked its leaves onto the floor. “We did have fun, though, you and Clara and me.”

________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Herbert took another strawberry from the basket, though he did not eat it--he just picked the leaves off one by one. “I mean no disrespect to Clara --bless her poor soul-- but I was so caught up in loving her how she deserved that maybe I forgot about you.”

________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

At the last part of the sentiment, Herbert peered solemnly into Pip’s eyes--a look Pip literally couldn’t handle.

________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“It’s fine, Herbert. I had things I had to deal with and so did you. It isn’t your fault,” he said.

________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

At this point, Herbert had torn off all the leaves of the strawberry and began picking the seeds out of it. Pip gently placed his own hand on one of Herbert’s to quiet his fidgeting.

________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“I’ve grown quite fond of you in all these years, Handel,” Herbert said. His hand clenched into a fist under Pip’s. “It’d be a shame to lose all of that because of a stupid feeling that I have.”

________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Then let’s toast,” Pip said. “To sticking together, no matter what feelings may try to set us apart.”

________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

In his free right hand Pip took his glass of wine and extended it for a toast.

________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Herbert felt that Pip didn’t _quite _get it, yet he awkwardly reached his left hand to pick up his glass and accept the toast so he wouldn’t have to move the hand Pip had covered.__

__________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“I like your spirit,” he said.

__________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Herbert turned his hand so he was essentially holding hands with Pip. Sure, he’d done it before when he was leading Pip out, but this was. . . _different, _somehow.__

____________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Pip, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care either way.

____________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Then, to staying together!” Pip announced.

____________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Their glasses clinked just as the sun set over the horizon.

____________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_No matter what feelings may try to. . . ___

______________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_set us apart. ___

______________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
